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Ford's Theatre National Historic SiteTheme(s): Presidential Parks | Civil War | |
Description:
Ford's Theatre NHS is the site of the nation’s first presidential assassination. An unemployed actor angered by President Lincoln’s war policies, and the Confederacy’s recent failures in the war decided to take things into his own hands. Using the familiar ground of the theater, John Wilkes Booth entered the theatre on the night of April 14, 1865 and shot the President in the back of the head.
Following the shooting, the President was carried across the street to the Petersen House where he was placed in a bed. Doctors attended the President through the night but he never regained consciousness. Lincoln died the next morning about 7:22 a.m. in the back bedroom of the rooming house.
Today, the National Park Service and Ford’s Theatre NHS preserve the site of this tragic event. Park rangers give talks recounting the details of the assassination. In addition, the events of that evening are interpreted through the display of objects associated with the assassination located in the museum in the basement of the building. The Petersen House (The House Where Lincoln Died), across the street from the theater, has been preserved and historically furnished to depict the scene of that night.
Ford's Theatre preserves the memory of Lincoln and the assassination, and through the work of Ford's Theatre Society and its professional productions, Lincoln’s love of the theater stays alive.
Designations:
Lincoln Museum (February 12, 1932)
Ford's Theatre (Lincoln Museum) (April 14, 1865)
Ford's Theatre National Historic Site (June 23, 1970)
Accessibility:
The Orchestra level of the theatre is wheelchair accessible.
Getting Around:
Tourmobile offers daily narrated tours of the monuments. Tourmobile stops at 10th and E Streets, going eastbound.
Activites:
Educational Programs | And more.
Facilities:
Visitor_Centers | Museum Exhibits | Tours & Guided Activities | And more.
Directions to Ford's Theatre National Historic Site
Plane:
BWI, Dulles, and National Airports serve the Washington, DC metro area. National Airport is the closest and is served by Metrorail.
Car:
Parking is severly limited in the downtown area. Ford's Theatre is located near the intersection of 10th and E Streets in the northwest section of the city. It is a block north of the FBI building on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Public Transportation
Metro buses and rail service the area. The closest Metro Rail station is Metro Center at 11th and G Streets. Taxi service is also available.
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